Light Opera

The Washington National Opera transformed the French ambassador's residence into a fantasy garden and light show for its annual Opera Ball.

Everything was illuminated at French ambassador Pierre Vimont’s residence in Kalorama on Friday night for the Washington National Opera’s annual Opera Ball—the company’s largest fund-raiser of the year (tickets start at $1,000), which drew heavy hitters such as Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. The event was appropriately theatrical, bathing the turn-of-the-century mansion in light. To create the effects, Washington National Opera director of special events Patti Humphrey turned to, at the ambassador’s behest, lighting designer Julien Pavillard—the artistic director of the winter Festival of Lights in Lyon, France.